Acquisition
Note: These materials
were donated to the University of Iowa Libraries by John Leggett from 1970
to 2003.

Access
and Restrictions:This
collection is open for research. However, copyright to the work of William
Saroyan is controlled by the William Saroyan Foundation; and some photocopies
among the Saroyan research files are marked to prevent further photocopies
being made from them.

Digital Surrogates: Except where indicated, this document describes but
does not reproduce the actual text, images and objects which make up this
collection. Materials are available only in the Special Collections
Department.

Use of Collections: The University
of Iowa Libraries supports access to the materials, published and unpublished,
in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted by
their fragile condition or by contractual agreement with donors, and it may
not be possible at all times to provide appropriate machinery for reading,
viewing or accessing non-paper-based materials. Please read our Use
of Manuscripts Statement.

Biographical
Note

John Leggett was born November 11,
1917, in New York, NY. He was the son of Bleecker Noel and Dorothy (Mahar)
Leggett. Leggett attended Andover, received an A.B. at Yale University in
1942, and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1942 -- 1945, becoming a lieutenant.
He married Mary Lee Fahnestock in 1948, with whom he had three children. They
divorced in 1986, and Leggett married Edwina Bennington of San Francisco.

Leggett was an editor and publicity
director for Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts from 1950 --
1960 and an editor at Harper & Row Publishing in New York from 1960 --
1967. In 1969 Leggett became a professor of English and the director of the
Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, serving in those capacities
until 1987.

Leggett's published writings include
Wilder Stone, The Gloucester Branch, Who Took the Gold Away, Ross and
Tom: Two American Tragedies, and Gulliver House. His most recent
book is A
Daring Young Man: A Biography of William Saroyan(New
York: Knopf, 2002),
and his research files and drafts for it

constitute the 2003 Addendum

.

Scope
and Contents

The
Legget Papers primarily document Leggett's published books, stories and other
writings, but the files for the Writers' Workshop period, 1969 -- 1987, contain
significant correspondence files and notable letters are found among drafts
and reseach materials as well. The collection contains two unpublished William
Saroyan manuscripts.

1. The Secret of Lily Dafon or The Paris Comedy. 1959.
Typescript drafts by WS, heavily edited. See Leggett ADYM, pages
315-321 for an account of this work.

2. Settled Out of Court, a play by Henry Cecil. Rewritten and
retitled by WS as Fair Trial at Gunpoint, 1959. Typescript drafts
by WS, heavily edited. See Leggett ADYM, pages 318-320 for an
account of this work.

Mailing wrappings for both manuscripts, with WS notes dated 1967, have
been retained.

Box 10

Script for A Western Awakening from the University of Wyoming production. Inscribed to Sam Becker, who was in the play and whose script this is: "For Sam Becker with thanks for a fine Hawk Harrap & all good wishes. Bill Saroyan." Laid in is a tear sheet from a publication with a photograph of a scene from the play with Sam Becker identified, along with a program from the play. Also included are photocopies of photographs of the play, clippings about the play, a photocopy of the program, and an essay by Becker recalling his part in the play and how Saroyan became the de facto director of the play. Donated by Sam Becker.